Main navigation

Guide to Wildlife Recording

Why record wildlife?

All wildlife records are important as they help us to understand and conserve the natural history of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Information about the wildlife that exists in an area can guide conservation management, influence planning decisions, help measure the condition of the environment and monitor changes over time. Recording is also a great way to explore our rich and diverse terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments and learn more about the wildlife you encounter along the way.

What is a wildlife record?

A wildlife record is an observation made by a person at a given location and on a particular date. The species can be common, unusual or rare and you don’t need to have seen the creature itself; perhaps you’ve identified mammal droppings or a bird song.

What information do I need to record?

We hope that using ORKS is an easy way of recording your wildlife sightings, however it can be difficult to know how much information to add to a record. The ERCCIS guides to recording are aimed at beginners to wildlife recording and provide details of the information ERCCIS need to validate and verify a wildlife record.

What species are found in Cornwall?

To further assist you in your wildlife recording we have created guides to the Amphibians, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Mammals and Reptiles found in (or that visit) Cornwall.

These guides are designed to give you an indication of what species are found in Cornwall, their current status, expected distribution and their acceptability. These guide are not exhaustive so if you find something that's not on our list, please let us know (with proof!).